My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 87 Brother, Spare Me

Baqiao Posthouse.

It is only 25 miles away from Chang'an City and is a key node connecting the major transportation arteries east of Chang'an.

It is more like a small town than a post station.

Many men of letters and poets would stop here to rest or create when passing by Baqiao Posthouse.

The farewell and reunion scenes that took place here provided them with rich creative materials, so it is very famous.

"King Qi, this matter is quite strange. The prince summoned me suddenly, I'm afraid there is a conspiracy."

"Central Minister Yin sent someone to reply, saying that Hegan Chengji had been executed by the crown prince last month. I calculated the time. After Hegan Chengji was executed, the crown prince asked Zhang Sizheng to go to Qizhou and ordered the King of Qi to return to Chang'an."

"But when we asked Zhang Sizheng, he said that Hegan Chengji was in the East Palace. He must be afraid of something by hiding it."

"The reason why he is so afraid is most likely because he discovered something from Hegan Chengji."

Yan Hongxin is the brother-in-law of Yin Hongzhi. He was recommended by Yin Hongzhi to become Li You's aide, helping Li You recruit swordsmen and others to plan a rebellion together.

After hearing the news, the atmosphere became increasingly tense.

Prince Li You of Qi had a gloomy expression and his eyes were full of anxiety and uneasiness.

Yan Hongliang, Yan Hongxin and the others also looked solemn, not knowing what to do.

Li You paced back and forth, with a lot of thoughts in his mind.

He knew very well that if the prince really discovered something from Hegan Chengji, then his own rebellion would most likely have been exposed.

Now, the prince's sudden summons made him feel even more uneasy.

"Now that things have come to this, what should we do?" Li You stopped and looked at Yan Hongliang and Yan Hongxin.

Yan Hongliang gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, since things have come to this point, we naturally cannot enter Chang'an anymore."

"Once we enter Chang'an, we will be trapped in a jar. There is no way out."

"Fortunately, the prince only summoned him in secret. We might as well rush back to Qizhou overnight and wait for news from Chang'an."

After hearing what Yan Hongliang said, Li You frowned and fell into deep thought.

Yan Hongxin nodded slightly and said, "Your Highness, what Brother Yan said makes sense. The current situation is unclear. It is indeed extremely dangerous to rashly enter Chang'an. Returning to Qizhou for a while may give us a chance of survival."

Li You was very conflicted. On the one hand, he was worried that he would be surrounded and attacked by the imperial army after returning to Qizhou.

On the other hand, if he entered Chang'an, he would fear falling into the trap set by the prince.

He sighed and said, "But if we return to Qizhou now, wouldn't it be confirmed that we have something to hide?"

Yan Hongliang said quickly: "King Qi, we can't care about so many things at this moment. The most urgent thing is to ensure safety. As long as we return to Qizhou, reorganize the troops and strengthen the city defense, we may be able to compete with the court."

Li You was silent for a moment, and finally made up his mind: "Okay, then I'll do as you say and rush back to Qizhou overnight."

After saying this, he immediately ordered his men to prepare the carriage and horses, and prepare to quietly leave Baqiao Posthouse.

However, what they didn't know was that outside the Baqiao Posthouse, there were already pairs of eyes secretly watching their every move.

"Brother, it is just as you said. King Qi and others have indeed made unusual moves."

Hearing what his guards said, Zhang Sizheng replied: "Someone tipped them off during the day, luckily I was keeping an eye on them."

"How are the soldiers I asked you to contact? They are already in place."

Due to the importance of the geographical location of Baqiaoyi, there is usually a certain number of troops stationed there.

These troops were mainly responsible for maintaining the security of the post stations and surrounding areas, and guarding against possible threats such as rebellion and banditry.

There are only a dozen people on Zhang Sizheng's side, but there are dozens of people on the King of Qi's side, and they are all good fighters. If they want to leave, Zhang Sizheng naturally can't stop them.

Therefore, he contacted the government troops in advance.

"They are all in place, waiting outside Baqiao Posthouse. There are about 800 of them."

"Hearing that we are the prince's men, the commander of Baqiao Post immediately agreed and was willing to cooperate with our actions."

Zhang Sizheng said: "Okay, let's see what King Qi thinks."

Outside Baqiao Posthouse, the night was as dark as ink and a tense atmosphere filled the air.

Zhang Sizheng's face was solemn, his eyes fixed in the direction of the posthouse.

He knew very well that this mission was of vital importance and the King of Qi must not be allowed to escape.

The palace soldiers were lurking quietly around, waiting for orders.

They were dressed in armor and held weapons, exuding a murderous aura in the darkness.

Although the team of 800 people is large in number, but at this critical moment, no one dares to slack off in the slightest.

Zhang Sizheng was secretly planning his next move.

The dozens of people around the King of Qi are all skilled fighters. Once a conflict occurs, it will be a fierce battle.

But he also understood that he was shouldering the heavy trust of the Crown Prince and he had to stop the King of Qi at all costs.

Meanwhile, inside the posthouse, King of Qi Li You and others were hastily preparing carriages and horses, eager to escape from this dangerous place.

Their hearts were filled with fear and anxiety, but they didn't know that their every move had already been monitored by Zhang Sizheng and others.

As time went by, the noise in the inn became louder and louder.

Li You and his companions finally prepared everything and were ready to quietly leave Baqiao Posthouse at night. However, as soon as they went out, they discovered something unusual around them.

"Oh no, there's an ambush!" Yan Hongliang exclaimed.

Li You's face turned pale, and despair surged in his heart. He knew that he was in a desperate situation.

At this moment, Zhang Sizheng stepped forward and shouted, "King Qi, you have nowhere to go, why don't you surrender!"

His voice echoed in the night sky, full of majesty and power, which was the confidence that came from being the crown prince's confidant.

Li You looked at the palace soldiers around him, his heart filled with anger and unwillingness.

He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Zhang Sizheng, do you think you can stop me?"

After saying that, he waved his hand, and dozens of skilled fighters around him immediately rushed forward and started a fierce battle with the palace soldiers.

For a moment, the shouts and sounds of killing shook the earth.

Although the palace soldiers were numerous, the King of Qi's men were also elite soldiers, and the two sides were in a stalemate.

Zhang Sizheng was extremely anxious when he saw this situation.

He knew that the battle had to be ended as soon as possible. If too many people died, the consequences would be disastrous.

So he personally led the Eastern Palace guards and rushed towards Prince of Qi Li You.

Being able to become the prince's confidant, Zhang Sizheng is naturally not a person who just does things for free. Compared with Hegan Chengji's personal fighting power, Zhang Sizheng is better at leading troops to charge.

Li You was shocked when he saw Zhang Sizheng rushing towards him. He quickly directed the people around him to resist.

But with the palace soldiers holding them back, Zhang Sizheng and other Eastern Palace guards were unstoppable and the King of Qi found it difficult to resist.

When Zhang Sizheng's sword appeared in front of King Qi, the battle was over.

Zhang Sizheng was still a little scared because he didn't know about the Prince of Qi's rebellion and just wanted to explain the task assigned by the Crown Prince.

But this time more than ten people died, so things are not so simple.

Even though he succeeded in capturing the King of Qi, Zhang Sizheng was still heartbroken. He didn't expect the King of Qi to be so crazy that he would force his way out even when surrounded.

Although the King of Qi was defeated, he cannot be treated as a prisoner. Apart from the confiscation of his weapons, everything remains as usual.

Early the next morning, after the city gates were opened, Zhang Sizheng led his men back to the East Palace.
-
In Chang'an City, in Yin Hongzhi's mansion.

Yin Hongzhi paced back and forth in the room anxiously like a trapped beast, his face so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out of it.

When he heard the news that King Li You of Qi was captured at Baqiao Station, it was like a thunderclap exploding in his mind, instantly confusing his thoughts.

"How could this Li You be so reckless!"

He gritted his teeth and squeezed out a voice full of regret and anger.

After careful planning, he lured Li You step by step onto the path of rebellion. He thought everything was under control, but he did not expect that Li You would be captured so easily.

He felt like a skilled chess player who had carefully planned his moves, but was defeated by his opponent at a critical moment. Yin Hongzhi sat down slowly, clenched his fists tightly, and veins popped out on the back of his hands. He tried to calm himself down and think about the current situation.

"When Hegan Chengji was sentenced to death by the crown prince, I should have thought that it must have something to do with me. It's a pity that I was too optimistic."

"Now that the King of Qi has been captured, the Crown Prince will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly. What should I do?"

Yin Hongzhi's heart was filled with fear and anxiety.

He knew that once implicated, he would be subjected to extremely severe punishment, or even catastrophic disaster.

Yin Hongzhi's brain was working rapidly, and he began to think about possible ways out. He first thought of those officials in the court who had had interests with him.

"Maybe they can give me a hand?"

But as soon as this thought came up, Yin Hongzhi denied it himself.

This incident is so serious, and those people are all self-protective people. How could they risk helping him at this time?

In order to protect themselves, they may immediately distance themselves from him or even add insult to injury.

"How about pleading with the emperor?" Another thought flashed through Yin Hongzhi's mind.

But he immediately realized that this simply wouldn't work.

The emperor has always had zero tolerance for treason, let alone this time it involves the prince.

If he pleads for mercy, it will only make the emperor more suspicious of his intentions and accelerate his own demise.

"escape?"

This thought flashed through Yin Hongzhi's mind, but he immediately rejected it.

The world is so big, it belongs to the king. Where can you escape to?

Moreover, if he escapes, it would be tantamount to confirming his guilt. The imperial court would certainly hunt him down with all its might, and there would be no peace.

"Perhaps if I ask my sister to ask the prince for help, there may still be a glimmer of hope."

"After all, this matter should not have reached His Majesty yet. Since the Crown Prince secretly asked the King of Qi to return to Chang'an, perhaps he has other ideas."

"Are you going to use this as a handle to get us to deal with the King of Wei?"

"Now I am at the mercy of others. No matter what the prince thinks, I have no choice but to obey him. It is better than causing a rebellion."

After figuring it out, Yin Hongzhi immediately asked his servants to prepare the horses and headed straight for the palace.
-
East Palace.

Li Chengqian sat upright on the main seat, his face stern, his eyes fixed on the Prince of Qi, Li You, who was being escorted below.

"Brother."

When he saw the prince, Prince of Qi Li You suddenly became frightened.

This was a shadow he had since childhood. Li Chengqian, who became regent at the age of thirteen, enjoyed extremely high prestige among his many brothers.

Many princes were afraid of their fathers and even more afraid of the crown prince.

I scolded them a lot when they were young.

Especially Prince of Qi Li You, who was of similar age and often caused trouble.

"You still remember me, your elder brother?" Li Chengqian asked coldly.

"Brother I don't dare."

Li Chengqian stood up from his chair and walked towards the King of Qi.

Now, there are chairs in all the halls of the Eastern Palace. The only difference between them and wheelchairs is that they do not have wheels. They are similar to the dragon throne of later generations.

"You do not dare?"

"How dare you!"

"You asked Yin Hongzhi to bribe my trusted guards with a large sum of money, and you secretly developed military forces in Qizhou with the intention of rebellion."

"Plotting rebellion against His Majesty, plotting rebellion against me, is this what you are going to do?"

"Give me a sigh!"

Hearing this loud shout, Li You's legs went weak and he immediately knelt on the ground.

"Bring it here."

Wen Zhong didn't quite understand: "Your Highness, what?"

"Whip, bring me my whip."

Li Chengqian said coldly.

Wen Zhong hurriedly handed the horsewhip to the prince.

King Qi Li You's face turned pale. He knew what he would face next.

"Turn around."

Li You turned around obediently.

Snapped!
Li Chengqian immediately whipped Li You hard, hitting him directly on the back.

Ah!
Li You couldn't help but scream.

However, when Li Chengqian heard this, he felt extremely sad.

He had no chance to return the five whips he had received to Li Shimin.

But he can beat others.

Pop, pop, pop!
As Li You screamed and begged for mercy, Li Chengqian whipped him on the back again and again.

I had only planned to whip him five times, but my hand slipped accidentally, and I was a little drunk, so I whipped him a few more times.

"Brother, I was wrong. I was wrong."

"Brother, please stop hitting me. I beg you to stop hitting me. If you continue, I will beat you to death."

"Brother, woo woo woo."

Prince of Qi Li You had been spoiled since childhood. Even when he made mistakes, Li Shimin only punished him verbally and he had never suffered any physical pain.

He was beaten so hard that he wailed and cried bitterly.

"waste!"

Li Chengqian threw the whip at Li You and cursed.

Thinking back to when he was whipped by His Majesty, he still dared to stand up to him.

This guy is so despicable that he is a disgrace to the Li family.

"I was wrong, brother, I was wrong. It was not me who wanted to rebel, it was my uncle."

"Yes, it was my uncle. He was the one who wanted to rebel. He introduced Yan Hongxin to me and asked me to recruit warriors, make friends with people from the martial arts world, and gather the troops and military forces of Qizhou."

"He was also the one who bribed my eldest brother's trusted guard Hegan Chengji. I only found out about this later when he wrote to me."

"He is the one who did all this. How could I have the guts to do this?"

"I have always been loyal to you, brother. When you asked me to come to Chang'an, I rushed back immediately."

"Brother, spare my life."

Li You was afraid that the prince would continue to beat him, so he cried and blamed everything on his uncle Yin Hongzhi.

Li Chengqian listened to the crying of Prince of Qi Li You, and a trace of disgust flashed in his eyes.

This guy has no backbone at all, a complete coward. He confessed everything after just a few whippings.

"What happened at Baqiao Inn last night, was it also instigated by your uncle Yin Hongzhi?"

King Qi Li You didn't know how to answer and could only kowtow and beg for mercy.

Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "He is guilty of treason and should be executed."

"Let me ask you, do you want to live or die?"

(End of this chapter)